When the Cardinals re-signed veteran righty Adam Wainwright over the winter, there was no shortage of second-guessing. But the move has worked out for all involved, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Wainwright will max out his incentives package when he makes his thirtieth start on the year this evening.
The contract came with just $2MM in guaranteed money — a reflection of Wainwright’s subpar output in the preceding campaigns. It called for an array of bonuses tied to the volume of work he performed as a starter and/or reliever. As it turns out, Wainwright earned and held a rotation job all year long while only spending a brief stretch on the injured list. He was thereby able to tack on a hefty $8MM to his earnings for the season, the final $2MM of which is earned with tonight’s outing.
Wainwright says it all turned out as hoped:
“They would be incentives that if I hit that would be great for the team and they would be glad to pay me for it. And if it didn’t hit I didn’t deserve it based on what I’ve done the last couple of years. … That’s what I expected to do. It’s good to come through on things you expect to do.”
There’s no doubt the St. Louis organization is pleased as well. Wainwright didn’t just fill innings, he did so with aplomb. Through 162 1/3 innings, he carries a 3.83 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 and a 49.3% groundball rate. ERA estimators view him as much the same pitcher he was in the prior few seasons — as a roughly mid-4.00 true-talent performer — but Wainwright finally had a bit of good fortune in a memorable campaign that could be his last.
It remains to be seen whether Wainwright will look to extend his career past 2019. It seems reasonable to presume the veteran will want to return to St. Louis if he does desire to continue pitching. From the team’s perspective, it’s not hard to imagine a return again making sense in some scenarios. For now, all involved are surely content with focusing on the upcoming postseason run.
The Cards opened the present campaign with $162MM and change on their MLB payroll. Despite foregoing significant in-season acquisitions, they’ll end with over $170MM owing to the extra cash due to Wainwright. Just how high the tab has gone is hard to say, but it seems unlikely that the Cards will reach their end-of-year payroll highpoint ($182.7MM in 2017). Regardless, it’s money well spent for a club that’s headed back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
As a Cubs fan I have the utmost respect for Waino. I’m glad he bet on himself and it turned out. Seems like a good guy.
I wonder if Tony is going to petition the Hall of Fame voters to get Wainwright in like he did Harold Baines?
But Wainwright is a fair bit away from even threshold HoF status. WAR aside Baines was a lot closer to career milestones than Wainwright is.
Once you put WAR aside your argument became bunk. Harold Baines was a 19% above league average hitter and didn’t even have good counting stats. Waino is by no means a HOFer obviously, but he was definitely better relative to his peers in every way. If you want to make an argument for two former Cardinals not being in despite each being far better candidates than Baines, look no further than Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen. HOF writers have needed a purge since the advent of even rudimentary analytics. It’s a joke.
You do realize that part of common voting criteria for the Hall is about career counting numbers as a means of showing quality longevity, don’t you (and Baines does indeed have excellent counting numbers in several stat categories)? In that aspect, Baines is far and away the better candidate, even if he doesn’t stack up as well in some other voting aspects.
Meanwhile, Edmonds’ career WAR simply isn’t Hall worthy even if it seems like it should be, while all the time Rolen missed to injury in the second half of his career depressed his numbers to the point of being a borderline case.
If any retired Cardinal deserves to get in (now that Lee Smith has finally and deservedly gotten the call, and aside from the special case of Mark McGwire), it’s Ted Simmons.
Both have about double the career WAR in fewer seasons. Baines has 380 something HR in like 21 seasons in the height of the steroid era. Edmonds and Rolen are top 15 at their respective positions by WAR too and all time great defensive players at premium positions. Agreed on Simmons 100%. He’s a better candidate than Baines too.
Absolutely. Simba for the HOF
Funny thing – checked out Wainwright’s BR page and ended up on David Wells’ page. Says he was 6’3” and 187 pounds….
Maybe when he was 18
Or measuring his leg.
Nice. I work in a performance based compensation environment and can really appreciate this. He took a chance on himself, came through for both himself and the team, and both sides benefited.
I’m pretty ignorant to the ability of the Cardinals this year. Hoe do they match up with the Braves in the NLDS?
I like them matched up against the Braves more than the dodgers…I think the pitching is overall the same…it will come down to who can produce runs if they face off…not counting my chickens yet…Brewers have an extremely easy schedule left and the cardinals don’t with Six games remaining
Good Luck. Braves are going all the way this year.
Man, it’s tough to pass up folty as the number 2 right now the ways he’s been going his last 7 or more starts. He’s still too hard to count on though and Keuchel’s been there done that.
The two are literally a toss up right now and Soroka just needs to get that first game.
No matter what happens, that astros rotation is going to carve and is verrrrrry scarrrrrry for anybody in October…
Everyone thought the Phillies’ 3-headed starting pitching monster would dominate in the 2011 playoffs, and how did that turn out for them, squirrel or no squirrel? Anything can happen in the playoffs. The Astros aren’t guaranteed anything but a trip to the ALDS at this point.
The pitching is far from the same. The Cards pitching has been top 3 in the league since the All Star break.
I have only seen a handful of Braves and Cards games, but from what I’ve seen and the way playoff baseball usually works, I think the Cards have an upper hand. Defense, speed, solid pitching and the big thing is clutch hitting. Cards will be tough to beat. If the braves will, they will do it by just over powering the other team. I see no finesse on that team.
Acunas and Ozzie’s speed at the top is pretty top notch and if they’re both on their games (like during the twins series) watch out.. Acunas potential 40/40 season is something special.
Both their defense along with freemans, donaldsons, Swansons, Markakis, and inciartes/Hamiltons is all too solid.
Snit has to learn to play a lot better small ball starting yesterday though, needs to learn when and where to bunt and how to gain or take away the in-game momentum.
The Braves will get as far as their pitching and small ball takes them along with the occasional bombs, cards are definitely on the outside looking in as far as all-around talent and top 4-5 teams in mlb goes though.
Not trying to be a Homer, but the bullpen has been light years ahead of where it was 2 weeks after the trade deadline, haven’t felt this much confidence in them since the days of O’Flaherty, venters, and kimbrel in their prime.
Anything can happen, but compared to a year ago today this team is much much better in any postseason matchup.
He’s been downright fantastic pitching at home this year. I am very impressed with how well he has adjusted to pitching with decreased velocity now that he’s finally had a healthy year, it’s good to see the work pay off after how hard he pushed himself to get back out there.
Where are all the people who said Wainwright was done? There was plenty at the beginning of the season lol
People are constantly saying X player is done. People like to hear themselves talk.
Is that the same as saying others like to hear themselves talk as you remind others about talking so you can talk about them talking?
It was more last summer they said he was done. When he came back last September and proved he could still compete, it led to some renewed optimism and that new incentive-laden contract. It’s a good thing, too, with Gomber and (once again) Reyes going down to injury, and Wacha and Ponce de Leon putting up really mediocre (at best) numbers this year.
the same place the people that said wong needs to be traded
I would trade him in a heart beat. He’s replaceable, especially at $10.5M next year and $12.5 team option for 2021. 2nd base? Please. That position is easy to replace.
Well deserved
Wainwright is a class act.
Not a real big Cardinal fan, but i have utmost respect for St. Louis. You can never count them out. Stand up organization top to bottom. Wainwright is a great pitcher, he never gives up.
Hacking scandals and racist fans aside, they’re a respectable, classy organization.
Racist fans? Please explain.
Fowler got some racist messages on social media last year. Which could have come from literally anyone, but some of the trolls like to use that to point to Cardinals fans as being racist. Despite the diversity of St. Louis and their fan base.
Waino is a Cardinals legend, a career long Cardinal and should stay that way. While he is not a HOF, he’s first ballot Cardinals HOF and they should retire his number. He will be wearing a red jacket on opening day soon. Waino is a team leader and class act. He is always a competitor, good sport and does so much for the city and team as well as for countless charities he’s involved with. I saw him give his testimony before a Cardinals game and he is truly a humble person and good family man. He has been an inspiration to far more people than perhaps he realizes. Although there are, and have been, better pitchers who have stood on the mound, there has not been many players who would be on his level of being an all around good person. It is so good to see him bet on himself and cash in.
Cardinals Hall of Famer, yes, but it’s team policy to only retire the numbers of actual MLB Hall of Famers, aside from the grandfather clause exception of Ken Boyer. That’s why McGwire’s 25 isn’t retired and finally handed out to Dexter Fowler after Big Mac got so little support his first time up with the Veteran’s Committee, and it’s why it took them so long to retire Sutter’s (technically) and Herzog’s numbers. If Ted Simmons ever gets in, I guarantee the Cardinals will quickly announce that his number will be retired.
Wainwright should start Game 1 in ATL, and game 5(if necessary). He’s pretty much owned the Braves since they traded him to the Cards.
Hes a different animal these days but he’s definitely the one that got away, akin to the way the Tigers view the smoltz trade I’m sure..
Having JD Drew at his echelon that year was a lot like having Josh Donaldson this year I must say.
If Wainwright starts Game 1 over Flaherty, then Sgt. Dumbschildt should be fired. If a WHIP of 1.33, 3.63 ERA, 70K, 37 BB in 94 IP is “owning” a team, then you’re crazy.
Wainwright is a legend of the game. Respect.
Thanks for letting us know Wainwright is in the same class as Ruth, Gehrig, Ryan, Mays and Mantle. His name just rolls off the tongue with these ACTUAL LEGENDS of the game. Yes, you’re correct. Insert sarcasm here.
You don’t have to be the best in the game to be a legend. Every baseball fan knows the name Mario Mendoza, and he sure wasn’t very good. There’s a lot of different ways to be a memorable piece of baseball history without being the best of the best of the best.
Mendoza isn’t a Legend. He’s a punchline. Try again.
not all legends are great
Thanks for letting us know that you’re an ignoramus. Please provide the details of where I compared Wainwright to Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Mays or Ryan. The fact is I didn’t. Furthermore, by saying he is a legend you obviously did not understand the context in which I used the term, therefore I suggest you attend English comprehension classes to gain a more insightful understanding of the usage of the word “legend”. Anyway, for the record here it is. Do try and sit there for the next week or next few years and take this in-If you refer to someone as a legend, you mean that they are very famous and admired by a lot of people. Good day to you, and try not to be such an ignoramus in future.
Thank you professor. Bottom line is this. In SPORTS…LEGENDS are defined as the ALL TIME GREATS. That is why I mentioned the greats of the game. And troll, yes, all legends must be great. I’ll continue to be an “ignoramus” if that’s what it takes to educate you about sports. You can deal with Merriam Webster and 8th grade English.
@CFAP-It’s very unfortunate that your English is not up to standard and that you need comprehension lessons. Once again, I did not compare Wainwright to the players that you mentioned. However, for the record you can have a read of this. meandwilliemcgee.com/2018/09/22/a-tribute-to-a-car…
Now I am not asserting that because this is found in the internet that it has any weight, but ask any other knowledgeable(something that you’re not) person in baseball whether Wainwright is in the top 30 Cardinals of all time. You’re a nincompoop that has no peers. You quite definitely need more than Merriam Webster for help with your English which is way below elementary school level, and as for your baseball ‘knowledge’ it is below par as well. Good day.
I would love to see a WS win and Waino leave his cleats on the mound